Anaphylaxis Do's and Don'ts

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Sometimes accidents happen, no matter how many precautions we take. They can happen to the most vigilant families managing food allergies. Here we offer some “do’s and don’ts” that will help prepare you to quickly and successfully treat an allergic reaction.

DO’s

  • Do learn the symptoms of anaphylaxis and teach others how to recognize anaphylaxis is occurring (i.e., child care providers, school staff, close friends, etc.).
  • Do talk to your doctor about epinephrine. Epinephrine, not antihistamine, is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. If you have been prescribed this medication, be sure to understand when to use it. FAAN’s Food Allergy Action Plan can help.
  • Do become familiar with how to use an epinephrine auto-injector. Practice with an auto-injector trainer so that you will learn how to quickly administer medication without losing precious time to read the instructions. If you have an expired epinephrine auto-injector, consider injecting it into an orange or grapefruit to practice its use.
  • Do carry your epinephrine auto-injector with you at all times.
  • Do call 911 as soon as epinephrine has been administered. Tell the ambulance dispatch that an allergic reaction is occurring, and that more epinephrine may be needed.
  • Do follow up with your doctor after a reaction is treated. Review how the mistake happened, and work out a plan to avoid repeating the mistake in the future.

DONT’s

  • Don’t try to “tough out” a reaction; treat symptoms quickly!
  • Don’t drive yourself and/or your child to the emergency room during an allergic reaction; call 911 instead.
  • Don’t assume the reaction is over as soon as symptoms begin to resolve. A second reaction, also known as a biphasic reaction, could occur up to 4 hours after the initial symptoms go away. Seek medical attention promptly and plan for an observation period of about 4 hours to make sure that the reaction has been resolved.
  • Don’t be left without your medication. If you have used your epinephrine auto-injector to treat a reaction, refill it quickly. Do not carry expired epinephrine; keep your supply up-to-date.